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BAE Systems unveils secret Collaborative Combat Aircraft 'Brontanax' at Farnborough Airshow
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At the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, BAE Systems unveiled a previously secret Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) named Brontanax, as part of the UK's Storm Fighter program. The scale model was presented by British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and RAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth. The Storm Fighter program, announced on July 16, is funded with £300 million under the UK Defence Investment Plan. Streeting emphasized the need to keep pace with adversaries' AI developments and stated that Brontanax will serve as an operational technology demonstrator, with a first flight targeted for 2027. He hailed the unveiling as a milestone for British defence and reindustrialisation, showcasing UK industry's technological leadership.
Source report
BAE Systems announced at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 that it has secretly developed a new Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) named Brontanax.
Brontanax: Scale Model Revealed
A scale model of the fuselage was unveiled by the new British Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, alongside Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, Chief of the Royal Air Force, during a ceremony at the BAE Systems exhibition stand in Hall 5.
Streeting noted that the UK's autonomous CCA programme, previously announced under the name Storm Fighter on July 16 by Luke Pollard, Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Defence Industry, will be funded with £300 million as part of the recently announced British Defence Investment Plan.
Streeting commented:
"This will create new procurement pathways and fundamentally reform collaboration with industry to provide modern capabilities for our armed forces. This is important because we must keep pace with the speed at which our adversaries are developing AI technologies."
He further stated:
"With today's presentation, BAE is delivering exactly that. We will adopt Brontanax as an operational technology demonstrator and fly the system for the first time as early as 2027. This is a milestone for British defence – not only for the air force, but also for reindustrialisation. This presentation shows that British industry is at the forefront of technological innovation worldwide and that the UK is open for investment and cooperation."
Source
CPM Defence Network – News: Verteidigung und WehrtechnikWestern
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